MAT (Miller Analogies Test) Format

The MAT (Miller Analogies Test) contains 120 analogies. Of these 100 are used for score report purpose while remaining 20 are experimental. The test has 7 sections as detailed below.

MAT General Vocabulary

A significant percentage of questions on your MAT will involve general vocabulary, as distinguished from the vocabulary used in any of the specific academic fields listed below. Expect to encounter the same kinds of words as those that typically appeared in analogy questions on the old version of the SAT I or that appear on the current version of the GRE General Test.

MAT General Knowledge

Some questions on your MAT will involve terminology that is part of general, everyday knowledge, as distinguished from information related to any of the specific academic fields listed below. Rote vocabulary training is unlikely to help prepare you for these questions.

MAT Humanities

A significant percentage of questions on your MAT will focus on the humanities — a broad field that includes literature, philosophy and the fine arts.

MAT Social Sciences

A significant percentage of questions on your MAT will involve the social sciences: history, political science, geography, sociology, economics, and psychology.

MAT Natural Sciences

Some questions on your MAT will involve the natural sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, the earth sciences, and astronomy. Expect fewer of these questions than questions involving either social science or the humanities.

MAT Mathematics

A small number of questions on your MAT will focus on mathematics: basic arithmetic, number theory, descriptive statistics, algebra, and geometry. Though a mathematics question might focus on terminology, far more common are questions involving numerical relationships such as proportion (equivalent ratios or fractions), equality, or inequality.

MAT Non-semantic

A small number of MAT questions will involve non-semantic word relationships, which means that the connection between the words has nothing to do with their meaning. This type of MAT question typically focuses either on letter patterns or on phonetics (how a word is pronounced when spoken).